Tiltable table and locking mechanism



May 18, 1965 v v. J. KRITSKE TILTABLE TABLE AND LOCKING MECHANISM Filed April 22, 1963 w w 2 Wm M 3 J )Q AM JJ j V j w u wfi v f a, 3 a FA 2 M M m w i I QGGQQQ x m QQ Q Z d w. mm m Maw United States Patent 6 3 183 860 TiLrAnLn TABLE Ariin iocnnse MECHANISM Victor J. Kritske, Sheboygan, Wis., assignor to Mayline Company, Inc., Sheboygan, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Apr. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 274,553

- 9 (Ilairns. (Cl. 108-2) This inv'ention relates to improvements in tiltable tables and particularly to the tilt locking mechanism therefor.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a hinged mounting for a tiltable table top together with a manually oted tiltable table having counterbalancing springs, a tilt locking mechanism especially adapted for compact assembly with the counterbalance spring mechanism.

Still another object of this invention is to provide in a tiltable table, a tilt locking mechanism therefor which is positive, durable and capable of being economically manufactured. 7

These objects, together with other objects and advantages of this invention, will be more readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a tiltable table equipped with the tilt locking mechanism of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view from the plane of the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view largely on the broken line 33 of FIG. 2 with a portion broken away to show the attachment of a counterbalancing spring.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the broken line 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring further to the drawing, the tilt locking mechanism and the counterbalancing springs associated therewith are supported on upright corner frame members or posts as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The outside finishing trim shown in FIG. 1 is not included in FIGS. 2 and 3. The vertical corner frame member at the left front end of the table consists of a vertically extending U-shaped channel 11. Near its upper end a plate 12 is welded to channel 11 and extends forwardly therefrom. The plate 12 provides the support member on which the table top may be pivotally mounted, but this plate 12 also serves as a rigid member which the slots 13 may be cut or punched to serve as part of the tilt locking mech anism. These slots are located on an arc concentric with the pivotal axis of the table top and substantially removed therefrom to make the table top adequately locked in a rigid manner.

The table top 14 is secured in any suitable manner, as by screws (not shown), to a U-shaped channel member 15 which extends rearwardly under the table top. The channel 15 is welded at appropriate intervals to a pair of vertically extending plates 16 and 17 as indicated. Near a front margin of the plates 16 and 17 a short tube 18 extending through suitable apertures in the two plates is welded to them along those apertures, and together with the channel member 15 forms a rigid box-like frame for the pivotal mounting of the table top.

Another tube 19 extends through suitable apertures in the plates 16 and 17 and is' Welded to the plates 16 and 17 along the margins of those apertures. One end portion of this tube extends rotatably through a suitable 3,1833% Patented May 18, 1965 ice aperture in the plate 12 and likewise rotatably through an aperture in the plate 21, the latter plate being welded to the side of the channel post 11. This tube 19 and the spring 22 which is mounted concentrically within it constitute a portion of the counterbalancing mechanism for the table top shown herein, and are more particularly shown, described and claimed in the pending application of Ellwood H. May and Victor J. Kritske, filed November 13, 1962, Serial No. 237,021, for patent on Counterbalanced Tiltable Table, now US. Patent 3,131,654.

For the purpose of the present application, it will suffice to state that the tube 19 is pivotally supported in the parallel plates 12 and 21, which are welded to the upright post 11, but being Welded to the plates 15 and 17, it rotates with them as the table is tilted.

A conventional spacing collar 23 is fixed on tube 19 adjacent plate 12 by a set screw 23'. As explained in greater detail in the above mentioned pending application, the end of the spring 22 is wrapped around a pin 24, this pin extending through a reduced portion of a bolt 25 whose inner end is rotatably supported in a sleeve bearing 26, the head of the bolt being welded to the outside of an indexing plate 27. As more fully explained in the above mentioned pending application, a series of angularly spaced holes (not shown) may be provided in the plate 21 on a circle concentric with bolt 25. A bolt 28 may be selectively inserted through any one of these holes and through plate 27, thus to position the indexing plate 27 in any of several selected positions. This feature is employed to increase or decrease the tension on the helical spring 22, it being assumed here, as it is explained in the pending application, that the other end of the spring 22 is anchored by means of a pin 22' to the tube 19. Thus, as the table top is being tilted, the tube 19 rotates with the table top supporting brackets, but the outer end of a helical spring 22 remains stationary, which causes the spring to twist one way or the other, and to perform its counterbalancing function.

The lock mechanism for the tilting assembly includes a handle 29 rigidly secured in any suitable manner to a rotatable horizontally extending rod 31. Also suitably and rigidly secured to the rod 31 is an arm 32 which is pivotally connected to a link 33, one end of the link being connected by means of a pin 34 to a rockable locking pin actuator 35 which is pivoted on a cam pivot pin 36 upon a bracket '37 integral with the plate 16. The actuator 35 which is a lever of bell-crank type, is formed in a U-shape and its opposite flanges are provided with slots 38 for engagement with a pin 39 which is secured to and extends through the enlarged inner end 40 of a longitudinally recipro'cable locking pin 4-1. The portion 49 is proportioned for sliding reciprocation inside of the sleeve or tube 13, longitudinal slots such as 42 being provided on opposite sides of the tube to guide and permit the pin 39 to move lengthwise relatively to the tube. A spring 43 connected with the pin 34 and anchored to a bracket 44 serves to hold the actuator 35 normally in the projected position shown in FIG. 3. The use of the cam pivot pin 36 permits some adjustment of the extent of rocking of the actuator when handle 29 is operated and released.

It will now be apparent that the handle 29 may be employed to rock the shaft 31 which will thereupon through the members 32 and 33 cause the actuator 35 to rock and retract the locking pin 41 from whichever slot 13 it may at the moment be engaged with.

The shaft 31 is supported for rocking movement in suitable apertures in the plates 16 and 17 and in the channel member 15. This shaft preferably extends the full length of the front edge of the table and is rotatably sup ported in a similar manner at both of its ends. Endwise movement of the shaft 31 in one direction may be pre vented by the use of a conventional collar 45 secured upon the end of the shaft 31 as seen in FIG. 3, this arrangement being duplicated at the other end of the table. Likewise, it should be understood that the tube 1? extends to both ends of the table and is supported by means of brackets secured to the table top and pivoted upon a vertical post corresponding to the post 11 in a manner similar to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Preferably, the entire tilt locking assembly as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is duplicated at both the left and right ends of the table, to give assurance of the equalization of support and locking of the table throughout its entire front edge.

it will now be recognized that the tilt locking mechanism is positive in action, is easily operated manually, while it and the table top are mounted for pivotal movement concentrically with and upon the tube 19 which carries the counterbalancing springs more particularly described in the above identified pending application. Thus, the entire assembly is simplified and is economical to manufacture and assemble into a durable structure.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of the construction shown, but also includes such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

1 claim:

1. In a table having a tiltable top member, a table supporting frame member, a vertically extending plate integral with said frame member, a pair of plates and means securing them rigidly to the table top in a depending parallel arrangement, means pivotally supporting the depending plates on the vertical plate for pivotal movement relative thereto about a generally horizontal pivot axis, a locking pin and means mounting it on said depending plates for reciprocation in a path perpendicular to said depending plates and generally parallel to said pivot axis, a lever pivotally supported on one of the depending plates for movement about an axis generally parallel to said pivot axis and operatively connected to said pin, the vertical plate having a plurality of slots spaced along an arc concentric with and removed from said pivot axis of said pivot means for locking engagement by said pin, and

manually operable means for operating said lever to effect engagement and disengagement of the pin and slots.

2. In a table having a tiltable top member, a table supporting frame member, a vertically extending plate rigidly secured to said frame member, a pair of plates and means securing them rigidly to the table top in a depending parallel arrangement, means pivotally supporting the depending plates on the vertical plate for pivotal movement about a horizontal pivot axis, a lever mounted on one of said depending plates, a locking pin, a guide tube secured to said pair of plates and extending therebetween for slidably mounting said pin on said depending plates independently of the lever mounting means for reciprocation in a path perpendicular to said vertical plate and parallel to said pivot axis, means operatively connecting the lever with the pin for operation of the latter, the vertical plate having a plurality of slots spaced along an arc concentric with and removed from the axis of said pivot means for locking engagement by said pin, and means for manually operating the lever to effect engagement and disengagement of the pin and slots.

3. In a table having a tiltable top member, vertical table supporting frame members adjoining opposite ends of the front margin of the table top, depending brackets aflixed to the underside of the table top near opposite front end portions thereof, a tube parallel to the front margin of the table top having its end portions rigidly secured to said brackets, means rotatably mounting and supporting both ends of the tube on said vertical frame members, counterbalancing springs mounted within said tube adapted for counterbalancing the table top during tilting movement thereof, manually operable means carried by said brackets and bodily movable therewith having means selectively engageable with said tube mounting means adapted for retaining the brackets and thereby the table top at various selectable tilted positions.

4. In a table having a tiltable top member, a vertical table supporting frame member adjoining each of the opposite ends of the front margin of the table top, a plate secured to the top portions of each of said frame members extending perpendicularly to the front margin of the table top, a pair of depending plates secured rigidly to the under side of the table top, means pivotally supporting the depending plates on said first plates, a bell crank pivotally supported on each pair of said depending plates bodily movable therewith, means mounting on each pair of depending plates, a locking pin connected with the bell crank for reciprocation perpendicularly to the depending plates, manually operable means for rocking the bell crank and means separately spaced on the first said plates along arcs concentric with the pivotal support of said depending plates engageable by said locking pins adapted for retaining the table top in selected angular tilted positions.

5. In a table having a tiltable top, a table supporting frame member, said table top including a top mounting bracket extending downwardly therefrom, means pivotally supporting the bracket on said frame member for pivotal movement relative thereto about a generally horizontal pivot axis, a locking pin and means mounting said pin on said top bracket for reciprocation in a path generally parallel to and radially spaced from said pivot axis, a manually operable handle and means pivotally mounting the handle on saidtop for movement relative thereto about a second axis generally parallel to and radially spaced from said pivot axis of said bracket and from said locking pin, said frame member having means defining a plurality of openings disposed in a vertical plane spaced along an arc concentric with and radially spaced from said pivot axis of said bracket for locleing engagement by said pin, and means operatively connecting said handle to said locking'pin for reciprocating said locking pin along a path parallel to said pivot axis in response to pivotal movement of said handle about said second axis.

6. In a table having a tiltable top, a table supporting frame member, said table top including a top mounting bracket extending downwardly therefrom, means pivottally supporting the bracket on said frame member for pivotal movement relative thereto about a generally horizontal pivot axis, a locking pin and means mounting said pin on said top bracket for reciprocation in a path generally parallel to and radially spaced from said pivot axis, a manually operable handle and means pivotally mounting the handle on said top for movement relative thereto about a second axis generally parallel to and radially spaced from said pivot axis of said bracket and from said locking'pin, said frame member having means defining a plurality of openings disposed in a vertical plane spaced along an arc concentric with and radially spaced from said pivot axis of said bracket for locking engagement by said pin, and means operatively connecting said handle to said locking pin for reciprocating said locking pin along a path parallel to said pivot axis in response to pivotal movement of said handle about said second axis, said connecting means including a bell crank pivotally mounted on said bracket for movement about a third axis transverse to said path of movement of said pin and operatively connected to said pin to reciprocate the pin in response to pivotal movement of the crank, and means including a link connecting the crank to said handle to swing the crank about said third pivot axis in response to pivotal movement of the handle about said second axis.

7. The combination of claim 6 including means yieldably urging said pin into locking engagement with said slots.

8. The combination of claim 6 wherein said bracket comprises spaced plates secured to said tiltable top, said bell crank and link being disposed between said plates.

9. In a table having a table supporting frame member, a tiltable top having a mounting bracket extending downwardly therefrom and means pivotally supporting the bracket on said frame member for pivotal movement relative thereto about a generally horizontal pivot axis, said frame member having means defining a plurality of openings disposed in a vertical plane and spaced along an arc concentric with and radially spaced from said pivot axis, a bell crank mounted on said bracket for movement bodily therewith and for pivotal movement relative thereto in a plane transverse to the plane of said openings, said bell crank having a locking pin operabively connected thereto for movement with the crank into and out of locking engagement with said openings in said frame member, a manually operable handle pivotally mounted on said tiltable top for movement about a second axis generally paralleling said pivot axis, and means operatively connecting said handle to said bell crank for moving the locking pin out of locking engagement with said opening 5 (in response to pivotal movement of the handle relative to the tiltable top.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner. 

1. IN A TABLE HAVING A TILTABLE TOP MEMBER, A TABLE SUPPORTING FRAME MEMBER, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING PLATE INTEGRAL WITH SAID FRAME MEMBER, A PAIR OF PLATES AND MEANS SECURING THEM RIGIDLY TO THE TABLE TOP IN A DEPENDING PARALLEL ARRANGEMENT, MEANS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING THE DEPENDING PLATES ON THE VERTICAL PLATE FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL PIVOT AXIS, A LOCKING PIN AND MEANS MOUNTING IT ON SAID DEPENDING PLATES FOR RECIPROCATION IN A PATH PERPENDICULAR TO SAID DEPENDING PLATES AND GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID PIVOT AXIS, A LEVER PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ON ONE OF THE DEPENDING PLATES FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID PIVOT AXIS AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID PIN, THE VERTICAL PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLOTS SPACED ALONG AN ARC CONCENTRIC WITH AND REMOVED FROM SAID PIVOT AXIS OF SAID PIVOT MEANS FOR LOCKING ENGAGEMENT BY SAID PIN, AND MANUALLY OPERABLE MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID LEVER TO EFFECT ENGAGEMENT AND DISENGAGEMENT OF THE PIN AND SLOTS. 